From 'Alias' To 'American Sniper': How Bradley Cooper Became One Of Hollywood's Bigge

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http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayli...stars-20150119

In the summer of 2011 in an alternate universe, Bradley Cooper retires to his trailer on the set of his new movie and wearily checks his email. His latest movie “Green Lantern” has just opened. Opening weekend wasn’t so bad —the film grossed over $50 million— but it was a $200 million picture, and with poisonous reviews and word of mouth, even among the undiscerning geek crowd, signs are that the film will drop off fast (indeed, it would eventually take barely half its opening weekend number in the U.S, and make a little over $200 million worldwide).

Bradley hadn’t been sure about taking the part: the script was ropey and unfinished, and it had meant passing on a smart sci-fi drama called “Limitless” and dropping out of the surefire hit sequel to “The Hangover” (he’d been replaced by a cheaper actor from the cast of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”). But his management had assured him that a superhero movie was the best way to capitalize on his recent heat and would catapult him into the A-list. Instead, his brand was now tainted. Sighing almost inaudibly, he pours himself a stiff drink and crosses his fingers in the hope that the ghost cop movie he’s currently shooting with Jeff Bridges proves more successful.

We don’t live in this universe, as you might have noticed, but we came close to it: Cooper, along with Justin Timberlake and Ryan Reynolds, was up for Warner Bros’ “Green Lantern” movie —Reynolds landed the part. However, Cooper likely doesn’t regret the decisions made in this reality too much, given that the past week has just confirmed him as one of the biggest stars in the world.